Gender Questions

Regarding the aging population, the question of care and financial support of the elderly becomes increasingly relevant. At the same time, the rise of divorce and separation becomes a very strong trend in modern society. Due to the absence of joint custody in Russia, the connection between fathers and children weakens after divorce and in this context the research question is: Do children help their elderly fathers after divorce, and what is the gender specificity in upward transfers after divorce? The object of this study is to examine the transfers that elderly Russian men and women receive from their children. This research is based on data from the “Comprehensive Monitoring of Living Conditions of the Population” conducted in Russia in 2014. The target sample consisted of 113 000 persons over 15 years old—37 787 of which were over retirement age. The survey covered all regions of the Russian Federation. The method used in this analysis is mainly descriptive statistics and correlation tables. According to the results there is a considerable gap between elderly men and women in getting help from their children due to weakened connections between children and their fathers after divorce. This problem can be solved by developing institutions of social protection, but unfortunately such institutions in Russia have not yet been sufficiently developed.

This article drew from a population-based survey of 413 women to determine the proportion of births assisted by the family in resource-poor areas of Nasarawa State. “Resource-poor settings” was defined as rural communities without access to health facilities. This exploratory study utilised a two-stage cluster random sampling technique to select 413 houses where questionnaires were administered to women who had given birth in the five years preceding the study. Simple descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the study data. The analysis reveals gross inequality in access to skilled birth facilities during childbirth in Nasarawa State. Births at home were common in rural areas among women of low socio-economic status who were illiterate. In resource-poor settings (where health facilities were unavailable), the family played a substantial role in child delivery. Specifically, while doctors and nurses attended to about 90 per cent of all births in resource-rich settings (where health facilities are available), the family members took delivery of 51.5 per cent of all births in resource-poor settings. Family members or relatives delivered the majority of the births that took place at home (61.6%). The traditional birth attendants assisted only 11.5 per cent of births within resource-poor settings, compared to only two per cent within resource-rich settings. The findings emphasised that the role of the family in caregiving during childbirth is not limited to providing social capital and emotional support but they also act as key caregivers, especially in resource-poor settings.

This article explores black African lesbian identity in South Africa and how lesbian women understand belonging. This is a contentious subject and is situated within a long history of heteronormativity and homophobia on the African continent, as well as the influences of colonialism and contemporary society. This history of heteronormativity and homophobia, combined with the Civil Union Act that gives South African lesbians and gays formal rights to marriage, has resulted in narratives in which contemporary black African women unravel the contradictions and emotions embedded in their struggles for belonging and identity in post-apartheid South Africa.